When you start your health and wellness journey, or start going to the gym, there are a few different stages.
An early stage, when you haven’t really been going for long, is about motivation – you might find a cohort, or a trainer to help create accountability and drive, to get you into the space itself.
This stage is all about patience and building momentum.
Once there’s momentum and an experiential knowing of the value of the practice, typically the role of the trainer or coach changes. You might seek a different cohort.
Now you have an internal drive to continue, but you’re looking to learn and grow, or perhaps develop new skills in different ways.
You now see it as a part of life, and almost a language, rather than a “have-to” in order to be healthy.
So in this stage, we take initiative. We start, we seek out, we try – and we are looking for feedback or direction.
We seek guidance, but are active in making sure the journey continues, rather than passive.
This is in contrast to the beginning, where the momentum isn’t there – the practice isn’t part of us yet, so we are passive in the journey, seeking that external drive.
The crazy thing is, we can actually shift the curve forward.
There’s no set “expiry date” on the passive posture, and no “starting date” for the active way of being.
What this means is, we can act as if the momentum is there early, we can manufacture this.
While guidance and feedback, or the opinion of an expert may be helpful, the shift is in how we choose to enter that arena. Do we enter with our own initiative and already “having a crack?” Or, are we handing over that power to someone else to spark motivation.
Which is better received?
For most people, both have a place, but knowing that we can switch gears any time can be helpful.
